Joshua Van Sant (December 31, 1803 – April 8, 1884) was a United States Congressional representative from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He served as

mayor of Baltimore The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the ...

from 1871 to 1875.

Background

Van Sant was born in Millington in

Kent County, Maryland Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,198, making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown. The county was named for the county of Kent in En ...

. He moved with his parents to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, in 1807, and later to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1812. He attended the common schools before moving to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Career

He engaged in hat making in 1817, became a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

, and continued that trade until 1835. He was an unsuccessful candidate as a Jackson Democrat (supporting seventh President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

) to the lower chamber

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

of the

General Assembly of Maryland The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber ...

in 1833 and 1834, but served as a delegate to the State constitutional convention (version unratified) in 1836. He also served as U.S. Postmaster of Baltimore from 1839 to 1841, served again as a member of the House of Delegates in 1845, and as commissioner of Baltimore finances from March 1, 1846 to March 1, 1855. He was a trustee of the city and county

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

(poor house municipal charity) from 1847 to 1853 and in 1861. He also served as a commissioner of public schools from 1852 to 1854, and later as president of that city Board of School Commissioners for the

Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), also referred to as Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) or City Schools, is a public school district in the city of Baltimore, state of Maryland, United States. It serves the youth of Baltimore Cit ...

in 1854. He is mentioned as the President of the (Baltimore) Institute of Music in 1856 (see "The Sun"

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

daily newspaper - 25 November 1856). Van Sant was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress, where he served from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Thirty-fourth Congress in 1854. He later served as a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket of

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

in pivotal crucial Presidential Election of 1860 which led up to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

(1861-1865), and was delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1867 which created the fourth version and current state constitution. He was director of the Maryland State Penitentiary (founded 1806) from 1867 to 1869, serving two years as president. He was member of the board of trustees of the McDonough Educational Fund and Institute (for the modern McDonough School) from 1867 to 1871, serving as president in 1871, and member and president of the board fo
Bay View Asylum
(later renamed Baltimore City Hospitals, then Francis Scott Key Medical Center, and today as

Johns Hopkins Bayview Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (abbreviated JHBMC or Bayview; formerly Francis Scott Key Medical Center and Baltimore City Hospitals) is teaching hospital trauma center, neonatal intensive care unit, geriatrics center, and is home to the Johns ...

) from 1868 to 1870. Van Sant served as

from 1871 to 1875, during which time the current

Baltimore City Hall Baltimore City Hall is the official seat of government of the City of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland. The City Hall houses the offices of the Mayor and those of the City Council of Baltimore. The building also hosts the city Comptroller, som ...

massive construction project 1867-1875, was completed under budget and dedicated. He later declined to be a candidate for renomination. He was appointed city

comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

of Baltimore in July 1876 and served five years until January 1881. Afterwards, he was elected to that office and served until his 1884 death in Baltimore. He is interred in

Greenmount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as man ...

off of Greenmount Avenue and East North Avenue in northeast Baltimore.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Sant, Joshua 1803 births 1884 deaths 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Mayors of Baltimore American people of Dutch descent Maryland postmasters American milliners People from Kent County, Maryland 1860 United States presidential electors Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Burials at Green Mount Cemetery